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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

L. B. W'RIGI-IT, OF NEW' YORK, N. Y.

SPINAL BRACE.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 30,601, dated November 6, 1860.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, LUCIAN B. WRIGHT, of New York, in the county and State ot' New York, have invented, made, and applied to use a new and improved apparatus for the treatment and cure of curvature of the spine and other diseases of the spinal column, which I term a spinal brace; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and correct description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, in which- Figure I is a perspective view of my invention, showing the head-piece attached to the same; Fig. II, a view of the head piece detached; Fig. III, a view ot' upper spring clasp employed detached, showing the mode of adjusting the same; Fig. IV, a view of the sliding cross-bar employed in connection with the head-rest, and serving to attach the same when desired to the spinal brace; Fig. V, a view of the spring provided with a pin, by which the head piece is held to the sliding cross-bar; Fig. VI, fro-nt section of lower spring clasp, showing metallic or galvanic plate attached to the same; Fig. VII, detached view of strap used for attaching brace to body of the patients.

In the drawings, like parts of the invention are designated by similar letters of reference.

The nature of the invention made by me, consists in the construction and operation of a spinal brace as hereinafter described.

Cases of diseases of the spine or curvatures of the spinal column are very numerous. The supposed cause of this disease is some defect in the cartilaginous structure between the vertebrae, as also disease of the bone itself. The difficulty in relieving this trouble is supposed (and doubtless correctly) to be the weight of the spinal column above the diseased part; in consequence of which fact the patient instead of improving, is continually doubling down, the spine becoming more and more curved, till at last the cartilage is completely absorbed and ancylosis is established. The patient rarely grows much in height as he continues to settle down from the doubling and settling together of the vertebrae. This evil can only be prevented or cured by removing the pressure from the diseased part and this must be done by extension and counter extension, which is the design of my invention.

the best of my knowledge no apparatus has yet been constructed except on the principle of lateral or transverse pressure.

In the drawings accompanying this specifcation, A shows a lower spring clasp and B an upper one. These clasps may be made of steel, brass, copper or any other metal best suited to the purpose and after being made in the desired shape are covered with buckskin, leather or any suitable material.

C C show two uprights, attached directly to the upper spring clasp B, and having a series of teeth 0 a, cut upon their sides, forming racks.

D D are two plates of metal, attached directly to the lower spring clasp A, in any desired manner, and provided with staples, o, Z), through which the uprights C, C pass, and which are held in position by lmeans of the pawl c, fitting into the teeth a upon the upright G; this also forms a mode of adjust` ing the upper spring clasp B.

shows a spring bearing against the pawl 0 and holding the same against the teeth a, on the upright C.

E shows an upright piece of metal, to which is attached at its upper end, a spring clasp F, intended to pass around the back portion of the head of the party using the spinal brace. This upright E is provided with a series of openings c, e, e, e, serving in connection with the cross-brace G and spring I-I hereinafter described to adjust the same.

Gr is a cross-brace provided at its center with an opening f, into which the upright (E) of the head rest is inserted. This crossbrace Gr is slotted on either side to enable it to move freely up and down upon the uprights C, C', which serve to support the same.

H shows a spring provided with a pin I attached directly to cross-brace Gr, and serving to hold the head rest in position where adjusted, the pin I passing through an opening K and any desired opening (e) in the upright E for this purpose.

L is a spring constructed in the same man ner as spring H, attached to one of the uprights C, C, and serving to hold the upright E in position, the pin on the under side of the same, passing into any desired opening e, on the upright E for this purpose.

M, N, and O show straps attached to the lower spring clasp A, the upper spring clasp B, and the spring clasp F of the head-rest, either by sewing to the buckskin, leather or other material used in covering the same or by cutting slots in the same, and passing the same over button P, (Fig. VI) attached directly to the same clasps A, B, and F.

Q, and R, are two plates, the one Q of zinc, the other R of platinized copper, or of any other metals suited for the purpose, attached to the spinal brace, by means of slots cut in these plates and passing the same over the button I), (Fig. VI) by which means Vthe instrument may when desired be connected with a galvanic battery, which in some cases will be found highly advantageous. A

The operation of my spinal brace may be thus described: The lower spring clasp A is fastened at the top of the pelvis and rests on the crest of the ilium; the other B'l is fastened around the chest immediately beneath the arms. The head rest, which consists as previously stated of the upright piece E, spring clasp F and strap O having been adjusted, the clasp F, passes around the baci; portion of the head of the wearer and the, strap rests upon the forehead. The brace having been thus fitted to the patient, by means of a gradual Aextension and counter extension of the parts of the same, any degree of weight ,required may be removed from the part of the spinal column diseased, and this may be'followed up as the patient increases in height, by lengthening the brace.Y

Whenever the curvature of the spine is lateral, the side of theinstrurnent toward which the patient bends can be raised above the other to any convenient height, necessary to bring the subject into a straight line.

I do not desire to confine my invention in its application to diseases of the spine alone, as it may also be successfully used in treating round shoulders, weaknesses of the loins,

land chest.

w and for the purpose specified.

y 2. In combination with the same the plates Q and R, arranged and operated as herein set forth and for the purpose described.

L. B. WRIGHT. In presence of- A. SIDNEY DoANE, J. HENRY HUNTINGTON. 

